Page 6 of SEAL's Angel
“Exactly,” Cam added.
“It would be too much on Dawn. The police are conducting a search. Hopefully, he’ll be back home before we land. I’ll update you as soon as we know anything.”
Jake figured they were wondering why he was going and not just Rafe, but they didn’t ask. He’d kept his personal shit private, and they’d accepted that in the past. He wasn’t ready to change that now.
After dropping two twenties on the table toward their tab, he headed for the door to meet Rafe in the parking lot. Meghan was waiting with Rafe next to their truck. As he walked across the lot, he heard some of their conversation.
“This is awful. I feel so bad for Dawn. I should go with you. I could help keep Dawn calm,” Meghan said as she looked up at Rafe.
“I know you want to, spitfire. I’m really hoping it turns out to be nothing and that Chase will be home by the time we get there.”
“So why is Jake going?” Meghan asked.
Jake didn’t give Rafe a chance to answer. He’d expected the question from his teammates, but he should have known Meghan would ask. She lived up to her spitfire nickname.
“I’m going, because Dawn and I have gotten close over the last year, and I need to be there for her. I know you’re almost her sister-in-law, but I don’t think a bunch of us showing up right now is the best thing.”
Meghan met Rafe’s gaze, and he shrugged. Jake wasn’t looking forward to the interrogation he’d have to deal with on the flight, but it was better to get it over with before they arrived at Dawn’s house.
“We need to get moving,” Jake said. “I’ll pick you up. No need for us both to leave our trucks at the airport. Take care, Meghan.” Jake climbed into his truck. He loved Rafe like a brother, trusted him with his life, but they needed to focus on Chase, not whether Jake was sleeping with his sister.
Fifteen minutes later, Jake pulled into his driveway. As SEALs, they never knew when they’d have a mission, so they kept go-bags packed. It made getting ready much quicker. After changing clothes, he grabbed the bag and headed back out to his truck. He was about to call Dawn, wanting to hear her voice to see if she was holding it together, but the police were probably still there. It probably wasn’t the best idea.
When he saw her number, Jake’s pulse raced. He’d figured she was still mad at him for pushing for more in their relationship, so her call filled him with hope. Then he realized she’d only called him when she couldn’t reach Rafe. But it shouldn’t have surprised him. She kept saying she only wanted his friendship. But the mind-melting kiss they’d shared at Rafe’s last summer hadn’t felt like friendship. Thinking about how she’d melted into his arms like she belonged there, and enveloped in the scent of peaches, made his dick hard and caused lots of cold showers.
But like he told Rafe, he needed to focus on the mission of finding Chase and hoping they got him back in one piece. Best scenario was he ran away, but the worst case sent a chill down his spine. He’d been a frogman for almost a decade and had seen the worst of humanity. Dawn had suffered enough. She didn’t need to bury her son beside her husband.
* * *
After grabbing a bottle of water from the kitchen, Dawn sat on the sofa in the living room as she waited for Spencer to finish searching Chase’s room. She’d been trying to figure out if she’d missed something with Chase, trying to figure out why he’d run away. She was so focused that the vibration of the phone in the pocket of her slacks startled her. She sighed in relief as she read the text message.
Rafe:Chase home yet?
Dawn:No, he’s still missing, but the police are searching for him. What if he’s hurt?
Rafe:Don’t let your mind go there. Try to stay positive. We’ll be there in about five hours.
Dawn:Meghan coming with you?
Rafe:No. Jake is. We’ll talk about it when we get there.
Jake was coming?Damn.So much for not telling Rafe. She’d been hoping to avoid having to talk to her brother about Jake. Hell, she didn’t even know if there was anything to discuss. They’d only kissed once when she was in Norfolk last summer. One panty-melting kiss that had left her longing for more.
But getting involved with a Navy SEAL? Nope. She couldn’t let herself fall in love with another man who might not come home one day. Still, knowing Jake would be there in a few hours made her pulse race in a good way. Hopefully, Rafe could deal with it by the time they got to her house. The last thing she needed was him flipping out. Chase was the only important thing right now.
Dawn:Okay. Let me know when you land.
Rafe:Will do. Love you, Dawn. It’ll be okay.
Dawn:I hope you’re right. I love you, too.
It would be five hours until they landed and then another hour to get to the house after renting a car and driving over, so it would be close to midnight. She prayed Chase would be home before then. But it was dark now, and there was still no sign of him.
Dawn didn’t know what to do with herself. Fear and adrenaline made her heart race, and a deep chill permeated her bones. If she didn’t do something soon, her head would explode. Maybe she could accompany Spencer on the search. It made sense. Wherever Chase was, he would be scared and alone.
The thump of Spencer’s feet as he came down the stairs made her turn away from the living room window.
“Did you find any clues?” Dawn focused on being calm and keeping annoyance out of her voice. He was just doing his job, even if it felt like they were just sitting around and waiting for Chase to rescue himself.
